UConn Plays East Carolina at Home ThursdayHuskies look to stay undefeated at home

Rachel Hill scored her ninth goal and fifth game-winner of the season in the team's last match against Temple.

Oct. 6, 2015

STORRS, Conn. – The UConn women’s soccer team (10-2-0, 2-1-0) will face off against East Carolina (7-6-1, 2-2-0) on Thursday, Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. at Joseph J. Morrone Stadium. The Huskies are currently undefeated, 5-0, on their home field.

UConn is coming off a 1-0 conference win over Temple, extending their overall record to 10-2, and 2-1 in conference play. Junior Rachel Hill (Rollinsford, N.H.) scored her ninth goal and fifth game-winner of the season in the 37th minute, giving the Huskies the lead in the first half. Junior goalkeeper Emily Armstrong (Collegeville, Pa.) came up with five big saves in the rainy, cold conditions for her fourth shutout of the season.

Hill and partner in crime, junior Stephanie Ribeiro (Pawtucket, N.Y.), are both tied for first in the conference with five game-winning goals this season. Not only do the two lead the team in scoring, Hill with 21 points (9g, 3a) and Ribeiro with 14 (5g, 4a), they also stand atop the conference leader board for most shots per game.

East Carolina went 1-1 this past weekend against the two Florida conference opponents, pulling out a 1-0 win over UCF on Thursday, before falling to USF 2-1 on Sunday. After a scoreless 89 minutes, senior Kendall Frey netted the game-winner with thirty seconds left on the clock to give the Pirates the last minute 1-0 win over UCF.

In Sunday’s match, East Carolina trailed USF going into the second half. Junior Lana Spitler closed the gap to 2-1 in the 89th minute, but it was too late for the Pirates. Spitler leads the team with 15 points (6g, 3a), followed by Frey with 12 (4g, 4a). Redshirt senior goalkeeper Saundra Baron has played in all 14 matches for the Pirates, posting 45 saves for a 1.03 goals against average and a .750 save percentage.

UConn currently leads the all-time series against East Carolina 1-0-0. The two teams came together for the first time last season in September of 2014, where the Huskies pulled out a 2-1 win in overtime on the road in Pirate territory. Spitler scored first for the Pirates in the 58th minute to take a 1-0 lead. Graduated senior Riley Houle netted the equalizer for the Huskies in the 70th minute, forcing overtime. Senior Samantha McGuire (Fishkill, N.Y.) earned UConn the win in the 100th minute when she headed the ball off a rebound into the goal. Senior Andrea Plucenik (Brooklyn, Conn.) earned the assist on both goals.

The Huskies will close out the weekend against Cincinnati on Sunday, Oct. 11 at 1 p.m. at Morrone Stadium, before hitting the road for two matches against Memphis and Tulsa.